Let’s look at Pinterest.  The photo-based phenomenon offers simple web-based pinboards of images for people to follow, “like” or create themselves.  The site had an estimated 17.8 million unique monthly visitors in February 2012 alone.

Whilst the site does not offer conventional opportunities for customers to buy products or services, the prospects are huge.  Popular images (with links back to the original source) can get repinned on hundreds of other users’ boards.  But how do businesses achieve maximum impact from the site?

It’s important to keep it simple – one of Pinterest’s main appeals is that it is easy to navigate.  Also, ensure that all Pinterest activity relates directly back to your main website – increasing traffic where businesses want it most.  Use other social media tools to promote your Pinterest activity, i.e. tweet a new pin, this ensures you are reaching more of your audience.

It is very important to remember that posting pins of only your products or services is quite transparent.  It is easy to spot a board that is too self-serving, so keeping a varied board that highlights different products or tips is a very useful marketing tool.

But the most important thing for a business to consider – is Pinterest a good fit?  It seems obvious, but not all social media tools apply to all businesses.  Pinterest tends to cater to those looking for recipes and design, for example.  If your business sells financial services, it may not be the best fit – one to consider before promoting your pinboard.

But I also think he misses the point about how PR people communicate with clients and over stresses any tendency to self deception. In reality, my job hinges on managing expectations  down rather than up -  dampening down rather than throwing another coal on the raging hot fire of client excitement. We operate in a field where results come slowly and need to be built up over time and we are seeking to influence people – journalists, experts, consumers – with strong opinions and wills.  Their judgements and percepions do not change overnight nor with massive swings.  So I find little value in exaggerating what’s happening when there are so many variables in play and we are playing a longer strategic game of communication.

So the client conversation needs to be more nuanced and cannot really afford to overstate the results and outcome of a campaign or project. The keyis to set the most realistic targets possible and work to over-achieve these but not share that fact until it is fact rather than speculation. Or at least that’s the (my)  theory.

Raising awareness

A key factor for cleantech companies is raising the public awareness of environmental issues and communicating and engaging on green policies, green ideas, green fuels etc.  If you’re a “green company” then “green PR” or “cleantech PR” is crucial in making sure your green credentials are heard and understood.

 Education, education, education

So what kind of PR techniques can be used? Well, good green PR can often focus on educating consumers and businesses on the impacts their green choices can have.

For example, take cycling to work. Most of us just get to and from work the easiest possible way. However, if we choose to cycle, what impact does that choice we make have on the environment, and what does that choice mean for us?

And what are effective ways to communicate this message?  One of the most popular ways, now circulating social media platforms as well as the more traditional media channels, is to relate everything back to us as individuals. So if 100 people cycle to work then x tonnes of carbon dioxide will be saved from being released into the atmosphere. Cycling to work will burn off x number of calories, which means you can have an extra glass of wine or a latte as a treat in the morning say. Finally, cycling to work will save you £xs in fuel or transport costs….

Communicating green PR in this way, using relevant, accurate statistics, also helps to position green companies’ credibility in a world where everyday more companies are questionably jumping on the green ‘bandwagon’. 

So you can see how this type of green PR can both educate the consumer or business on the benefits of cycling, but it also goes further than that… By providing tangible personalised examples (and utilising social media PR well) we can make our campaigns work harder to ensure that a wider audience of consumers or business decision makers actually begin to engage with relevant green issues.

Marketers around the world have obsessed over Facebook’s ‘like’ button and are trying numerous approaches to convince consumers to hit that button. Why – because their preferences are seen by their friends as a trusted recommendation. Actual trust is a key factor when consumers look to make a purchase. Take John Lewis for example, high on the trust scale with the way it does business and its ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ promise. Consumers know they’ll be paid the difference in price if they find the same products cheaper elsewhere.

While this is a strategy brands like John Lewis and other live and succeed by, some marketers are so caught up by Facebook’s ‘like’ button that they forget to embed a likeonomics strategy throughout the business. Getting as many people to add your brand on Facebook is not going to boost profits without Bhargava’s theory instilled throughout the business.

So 2012 might be the year when the penny drops for marketers as they realise that a likeonomics campaigns needs to be instilled throughout the brand – perhaps focusing on customer service, product knowledge, or a better consumer buying experience will add to the likeonomics factor for brands. Likeonomics as a theory does have its justification. At the very least, it’s likely to be one of those buzzwords you hear more frequently throughout the year.

We come into work every day to deliver first class campaigns that impress our clients and make a measurable impact on the bottom line. To see our work help our clients hit their objectives – be it increase sales, grow brand awareness or encourage behaviour change – is more often than not enough of a reward. However, for your work recognised by the industry as outstanding and an example of best practice is the icing on the cake.

This week we’re having our cake and eating it too as we’re celebrating not one, but two of our campaigns being shortlisted for Gold SABRE awards.

i luv my can our consumer campaign to raise awareness of the sustainability of the drinks can for Beverage Can Makers Europe is a finalist in the Excellence in Public Relations Programming (UK and Irish campaigns with fees less than £50,000) category.

Whilst our activation of PC Tools’ sponsorship of the World Series by Renault sponsorship is a finalist in the Product Media Relations (Consumer Media) category. This marks the second consecutive year that we’ve been shortlisted for our work with PC Tools.

Run by the Holmes Report Group, the SABRE awards recognise campaigns that demonstrate the highest level of strategic planning, creativity and business results.  This year they received over 1800 entries from campaigns across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, so it’s fantastic that we’ve been shortlisted. Congratulations to all the teams involved and we look forward to the winners will being announced on May 31^st.